More than one million people around the world are now infected with COVID-19. Everyone is at risk of catching the coronavirus especially if you find that you are passing more stools than usual, according to experts.
Coronavirus cases are continuing to rise in the U.K. and the U.S., and the government has urged the public to stay at home in order to avoid becoming infected or spreading the virus further. The public have been advised to remain indoors, as more than 60,000 people in the U.K .and more than 100,000 people in the US have been diagnosed with COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are high fever, difficulty in breathing and continuous cough. But, you could also be at risk of catching COVID-19 if you find that you are passing more stool than normal.
Coronavirus symptoms could include going to the toilet
According to Doctor 4 U GP Dr Diana Gall. patients diagnosed with coronavirus may find subtle changes to their gastrointestinal systems before any other obvious symptoms. Some people may even find their stools looser than normal, while other people may find that they go to the toilet more often.
Although there is no normal amount of times to go to the toilet, but everyone knows roughly how many times they pass stools in a day. If you find that you are exceeding your usual toilet visits, it is probably a good idea to self-isolate as a precaution.
Dr. Gall told Express Online that in mild cases, it is quite possible that you will experience symptoms similar to other viruses such as flu and cold. This also includes a headache, runny nose, pains, aches and continuous coughing, but these symptoms are general and can be linked to other illnesses.
The expert added that digestion problems and changes in bowel habits, particularly more frequent trips to the toilet and looser stools, are sometimes the first signs that you are coming down with something and not just COVID-19. However, diarrhea has been reported as an early symptom in patients who later tested positive for coronavirus.
It was also stressed that at this stage, all that is known is that the virus affects the respiratory system, but in some cases, experts are seeing the virus affect the gastrointestinal system too. And while one coronavirus patient may develop diarrhea, others may not, and COVID-19 symptoms differ from person to person.
Meanwhile, the most common coronavirus symptoms include having a very high fever, continuous cough and chills and aches all over the body. Anyone that feels hot to the touch on their back or chest should be showing early coronavirus symptoms.
Protection from COVID-19
According to the World Health Organization or WHO, you can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading coronavirus by taking precautions. First things first, make sure that you and the people around you regularly and thoroughly washes their hands with alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. This is because washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.
Make sure that you maintain at least 1 meter or 3 feet distance between yourself and anyone who is sneezing or coughing. When someone sneeze or coughs they spray small liquid droplets from their mouth or nose which may contain the virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets that may include the virus.
Also, avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth. Hands touch a lot of surfaces and it can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your nose, eyes or mouth and the virus can enter your body.
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